Winter has arrived

After being away for two weeks with work (to Northern Queensland) I have noticed just how much winter has set in. While away I had a trip in a single propeller plane to an airport that looked like a bus shelter... I'd never really been nervous on a plane until the pilots started looking for the runway to land!

The calves have started to get their thick winter coat and look very cuddly.

Frankie with her winter coat

 While I was away there was a new addition. Chloe had a little girl, and keeping with the fashion theme (Chloe came from a farm where there was also Dolce, Dior and Chanel), we've called her Gucci.

Gucci

 The other calves born earlier this year are growing well.

The 3 little ladies having a rest

Gem - very relaxed!

Gippy Girl and Gidget

Gallant Downs after getting a lesson on where not to stand!

Rainy Sunday

We have had plenty of visitors over the past week. It has been lovely to see some Melbourne faces come past and some local ones pop in too.
Over the past four days Tom and Bruce have started putting the fence posts in after months of cutting down trees, ripping out old posts, pulling up wire, slashing the fence lines and plenty of burning. There is still more to go, but it is nice to see some posts in the ground to be able to see where the paddocks will be.
Today was wet and cold and I stayed warm and sheltered in the house. The chickens were also looking for shelter on the back door step - I shooed them away, but they didn't move far and took shelter under the wheelbarrow. The rain didn't deter the fencing efforts and more posts were put in by Tom and Bruce. When the rain clears I'll try and get some photos.

3 little ladies

On Saturday I managed to get a couple of pictures of the calves born in the past two months. They're not so little any more - with one of them more than doubling her birth weight to now weigh 92kg.

Gippy Girl and Gidget

Gem



On the move

Eggs and a Fire

Last weekend the fire was installed after mum grouted the slate around the fire place. The warmth has been extremely welcome with the rainy cold days we've been having lately. The lounge room seems complete now the fire is in.

Diego laid her first little egg last week as well. She has laid 4 eggs in the past week - which is more than can be said for the other hens! The hens are happy and have laid a few eggs since coming over, but I am starting to wonder if they are laying them in the garden because there tends to be three eggs if the hens are locked up for the day.

Grace has well and truly found adolescence and has tested me out a few times. His wing flapping and charging earned him a swift upper-cut to the beak with the feed container lid. He has started to settle down - but if not then I think Tom would like to 'dispose' of him. Meanwhile I will try and keep Grace calm and his attacks to a minimum (or at least the ones that Tom hears about!)

Clearing the fence line

Today Tom was busy clearing part of the fence line. I went down to help (briefly) and discovered a full horse skeleton. I had heard from locals that the previous owner had been neglectful, and an visit from the RSPCA when we first took over the propery indicated that there had been some form of animal neglect, however I was hoping for the animals' sake that it wasn't as bad as people had made it seem.
However today's discovery linked into a story I had heard from some locals (who called the property "the horse murder's place").
I was so sad that someone could actually treat animals so badly, and I hope that as time goes on the locals will find Tom and I to be very different people from the previous owner.
I know that I will be doing everything within my power to make sure the history of the property does not continue on into the future, and our animals are happy and healthy.